Cover for sports equipment

ABSTRACT

A flexible, removable cover for a head of a hockey stick made from a flexible elastic polymer, nylon, polyester lycra blend and/or a cotton blend fabric is disclosed. The cover includes two sides connected along a seam, and a reinforced heel.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/898,171, filed on Sep. 10, 2019. The entire contents of the aforementioned application is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates to a cover for sports equipment, such as for the curved end of a hockey stick. More particularly, this disclosure relates to a flexible, removable cover for the head, and optionally a portion of the shaft, of a hockey stick, such as a field hockey stick or floor hockey stick.

BACKGROUND

Hockey is a sport in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick. There are many types of hockey, such as floor, bandy, field, and ice hockey, played throughout the world.

Field hockey is played on gravel, natural grass, or sand-based or water-based artificial turf, with a small, hard ball approximately 73 mm (2.9 in) in diameter. The game is popular among both males and females in many parts of the world, particularly in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Argentina. In most countries, the game is played between single-sex sides, although they can be mixed-sex.

Modern field hockey sticks are constructed of a composite of wood, fiberglass or carbon fiber, and/or Kevlar. The composite materials, carbon in particular, add to the power and stiffness of the sticks. Many beginner programs still play with wooden sticks. The sticks are J-shaped, with a curved hook at the playing end (“the head”) with a flat surface on the playing side and a curved surface on the rear side. The stick weighs no more than 23 ounces and must pass through a 2-inch ring. The unique feature of a field hockey stick is that it has a flat surface on the left side of the head and a round surface on the other back/side. Therefore all players, whether left or right handed, play by holding the stick with the left hand at the top of the handle.

Three key parts of a field hockey stick are: the head, the handle, and the bow (not shown). As shown in FIG. 1A, the handle 2, also called the grip, is round and is the area that is held with two hands when hitting the ball. It is covered with a grip or tape that helps the player maintain control while using the stick. The handle remains rounded on the reverse, back or right hand-side but becomes gradually flat on the “face” side and also becomes wider, changing from a diameter of approximately 30 mm to a flat width of approximately 46 mm (the permitted maximum is 51 mm).

The bow refers to the curve of the stick. By regulations, this bend cannot be more than 25 millimeters, but the bend can be at different places in the stick. The regular bow is an even, centered curvature that is best for beginning and intermediate players, because its balance allows for better overall play. For advanced players, the control bow moves the bend in the stick closer to the toe.

Finally, the head 3 can be divided into three parts. As shown in FIG. 1B, which is a close up of the head of the stick, these are the heel 6, toe 4, and scoop 5. The heel 6 is the bottom part of the stick, which connects to the toe, or the striking surface of the stick. The scoop 5 is opposite the heel, and has a small groove that is used to help handle the ball. This flat area above the curve of the head is generally referred to as the shaft 7. The head of the stick is generally thought of as the curved part. The right side is called the face 8, the upturn is the toe 4, and the bend of the head where it joins the shaft is the heel 6.

There are four different types of a toe of the stick: Hook, Maxi, Midi, or Shorti. The majority of players choose the midi style because it has the greatest versatility. In general, defensive players choose a hook or maxi-style toe, while those on offense go for a shorti.

In the Unites States, field hockey is primarily played by females, accounting for approximately 1.6 million U.S. participants (six years+) in 2017. The sport is primarily focused on the eastern seaboard from the Mid-Atlantic states through New England. Pockets of growth are occurring in Pennsylvania, some southern states, and Illinois.

Ice hockey is played between two teams of skaters on a large flat area of ice, using a three-inch-diameter (76.2 mm) vulcanized rubber disc called a puck. This puck is often frozen before high-level games to decrease the amount of bouncing and friction on the ice. The game is played all over North America, Europe and to varying extents in many other countries around the world. It is the most popular sport in Canada, Finland, Latvia, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.

Ice hockey sticks are long L-shaped sticks made of wood, graphite, or composites with a blade at the bottom that can lie flat on the playing surface when the stick is held upright and can curve either way, for left- or right-handed players. An ice hockey stick is made up of three main parts, shown in FIG. 2: the handle 20, also known as the butt end or knob, where a player typically places their non-dominant hand when playing; the shaft 17, the entire middle section of the stick; and the blade 13. The shaft 17 is used to control nearly all movement of the stick. The shaft 17 is flexible in order to allow players different levels of control when stick handling, passing, and shooting. The blade 13 has two parts—the heel 16 and toe 14, each having different ways of controlling the puck.

When players practice hockey indoors on indoor surfaces, such as in a typical gymnasium, the standard field hockey stick can create marks, divots, and scratches on the floors. This damage is long-lasting and requires repair over time. This creates challenges for coaches of clubs, school teams and local programs who are excluded from training on these surfaces without employing a means for protecting the floor from potential damage.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

A cover for sports equipment, such as for the curved end of a hockey stick, is disclosed. The cover may be flexible, removable, and/or made from a polyester lycra blend, nylon, cotton blend, or an elastic polymer, such as neoprene. The cover may be have a reinforced heel, which may be an extra layer of fabric optionally constructed from an elastic polymer or nylon. The face side may be the same fabric or different than the fabric used in the reinforced heel or rounded side. The face side may be constructed from the same fabric as the rounded side and the reinforced heel may be constructed from a different fabric. The rounded side and the face side may be constructed from an elastic polymer, a cotton blend, or a polyester lycra blend, and the reinforced heel may be constructed from a nylon or an elastic polymer. The rounded side and the face side may be constructed from a polyester lycra blend, and the reinforced heel may be constructed from neoprene or nylon.

A kit is also disclosed comprising: a hockey stick; and a flexible cover configured so that it can be pulled onto a head of the hockey stick and will not bunch or slack.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1A is a drawing of a field hockey stick. FIG. 1B is an enlarged drawing of a head of a field hockey stick.

FIG. 2 is a drawing of an ice hockey stick.

FIGS. 3A and B are sketches of a cover for a field hockey stick.

FIGS. 4A and B are photographs of a cover shown on a field hockey stick.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The cover disclosed herein is a flexible, removable and durable sock-like cover that slips on (or is pulled on) over the head of a hockey stick, such as a standard field hockey stick or a floor hockey stick, so players can practice confidently on all indoor surfaces without the fear of damaging the floor. The cover is constructed to protect gym and indoor floors from marks and damage. It allows year-round training for field hockey players on indoor surfaces without any ball interference to develop and improve skills.

The cover is easy to pull on and take off the head of the stick and does not impede the stick's effectiveness. The cover is designed to engulf the head of the stick and only extend up a small portion of the shaft to provide ample room for the player's hands to slide up and down the handle of the stick without interference or distraction so that fundamental skills are not affected.

The cover is removable, flexible, resilient and selectively padded with a second layer of fabric where the stick comes into contact with the ground when in use. The cover may be sock-like in form with an opening at one end and a rounded closed end (toe) at the other. The cover may be pulled onto the head of a hockey stick, which comprises both the heel and the toe, and then the cover extends some length up the shaft of the stick in a snugly-fit manner such that it does not bunch or slack when placed on the hockey stick. The cover stretches to a tight friction fit (a snug fit) over the head and a portion of the shaft when in use.

A cover for a head of a field hockey stick is disclosed that includes a face side, a rounded side, and a reinforced heel. The heel is at the curved bottom portion of the cover, which is constructed to wrap the head of the field hockey stick, where the stick in play comes in contact with the floor. The face side and the rounded side are connected along a seam to make a tubular height with an opening at the top and a rounded closed toe. When pulled on the field hockey stick, the face side covers the flat surface on the playing side of the stick and the rounded side covers the rounded surface on the rear side of the stick.

The seam connecting the face side and the rounded side may be a continuous loop around the perimeter of the cover, except the cover is open at the top (in a tubular form) to allow the cover to be pulled onto the hockey stick. Single needle stitching may be used for the seam connecting the face side and the rounded side.

The whole or portion of the cover may be constructed from a polyester lycra blend, cotton blend, nylon, or a flexible elastic polymer. The whole or portion of the cover may be constructed from a flexible elastic polymer, such as neoprene, nylon, a polyester lycra blend, and any combination thereof. A flexible elastic polymer may be constructed in Ponte di Roma, and includes an injection molded rubber, neoprene, or other polymer that permits production in various thickness, colors and lengths. The cotton blend may be constructed in jersey, interlock or Ponte di Roma, and includes, but is not limited to, cotton spandex knits and cotton polyester knits. Jersey, interlock and Ponte di Roma refer to the construction of the knit material. Jersey is a thinner constructed material, interlock is a denser knit material and Ponte di Roma is more dense and may also be referred to as a double knit material. The polyester lycra blend may be constructed in jersey, interlock or Ponte di Roma, and may comprise at least about 4% lycra (unless specified otherwise, the percentages used in relation to fabric materials refers to % by weight of the total fabric). The polyester lycra blend may comprise about 4% to about 30% lycra. The polyester lycra blend may comprise about 10% to about 20% lycra. The polyester lycra blend may be 96% Polyester/4% Lycra blend, 95% Polyester/5% Lycra blend, 90% Polyester/10% Lycra blend or 80% Polyester/20% Lycra blend. The lycra provides the fabric with elasticity and stretch that makes it highly elasticized. The nylon may be 100% nylon fabric 1600*1600D. The elasticity of the material of the cover gives it durability. The diameter of the cover may be smaller than the diameter of the shaft of the hockey stick so that it stretches to a tight fit.

The reinforced heel may be a layer of fabric over a portion of the face side and a portion of the rounded side. The fabric may have elasticity and/or be highly durable. The fabric may be textured, or a textured densely woven fabric, rather than a knit, so that it has minimal stretch. The fabric that is used to construct the reinforced heel may not be highly elasticized, and may not include lycra. The fabric over the heel may be a synthetic fabric. The synthetic fabric may be a nylon, such as a 100% nylon fabric 1600*1600D. The 1600 denier is a very thick thread and is a dense and durable fabric. The fabric over the heel may be neoprene.

The layer of fabric making up the reinforced heel may be about 5 inches to about 9 inches, about 6 inches to about 8 inches, about 7 inches to about 8 inches, about 7.25 inches to about 7.75 inches, or about 6.25 inches to about 6.5 inches in length. The layer of fabric making up the reinforced heel may be about 0.8 inches to about 2 inches, about 1 inch to about 1.75 inches, about 1.25 inches to about 1.75 inches, about 1.5 inches, or about 1 inch in width. The fabric over the heel may be secured to the face side and the rounded side using a stitch or combination of stiches, such as single needle stitch and overlock stitching.

The face side, the rounded side, and the reinforced heel may be constructed from the same fabric or different fabrics. The rounded side may be constructed from a polyester lycra blend, nylon, a cotton blend or a flexible elastic polymer. The face side may be constructed from a polyester lycra blend, nylon, a cotton blend or a flexible elastic polymer. The rounded side and the reinforced heel may be constructed from a flexible elastic polymer; and/or the face side may be constructed from a cotton blend. The rounded side and the face side may be constructed from a polyester lycra blend, cotton blend, nylon, or a flexible elastic polymer. The rounded side and the reinforced heel may be constructed from neoprene. The face side may be constructed from a cotton blend, including, but not limited to, a cotton spandex knit. The rounded side and the face side may be constructed from a polyester lycra blend, optionally the polyester lycra blend may comprise about 4% to about 30% lycra. The rounded side and the face side may be constructed from a polyester lycra blend, and the reinforced heel may be constructed from a polyester lycra blend, cotton blend, nylon, or a flexible elastic polymer. The rounded side and the face side may be constructed from a polyester lycra blend, and the reinforced heel may be constructed from nylon. The rounded side and the face side may be constructed from a polyester lycra blend, such as 96% Polyester/4% Lycra blend, 95% Polyester/5% Lycra blend, 90% Polyester/10% Lycra blend, or 80% Polyester/20% Lycra blend, and the reinforced heel may be constructed from 100% nylon fabric 1600*1600D, optionally attached to the face side and rounded side using single needle stitching and overlock stitching.

The same fabric may be used for the face side and the rounded side. The same fabric may be used for the face side and the rounded side, while a different fabric is used for the reinforced heel. Alternatively, two different fabrics may be used to achieve different desired properties. The fabric used for the face side may be thinner than the rounded side so that the fabric does not impede control or release of the ball. The fabric used for the face side may have some tackiness that allows control when receiving and dribbling the ball.

Cotton blend refers to a wide range of cotton knit fabrics containing cotton, and optionally another fiber. Cotton blend can be knit in jersey, interlock or ponte de roma construction. Cotton blends can be knits that are 100% cotton or blended with other fibers such as polyester, nylon, lycra, spandex. Cotton spandex blends are knits having a high percentage of cotton (e.g., about 90%, about 95%, or about 98% cotton) combined with a small percentage of spandex for stretch and recovery. Cotton spandex blends also may include other fibers such as polyester.

The cover may be hooked, L-shaped, and/or, like a sock, be tubular with an opening at one end and closed at the other. The cover may be made of any color or pattern. The cover may be imprinted, for example, with a team name, slogan, inspirational saying, brand marking or advertising.

When the cover is not pulled onto the field hockey stick, it may lay flat such that there are two sides, as shown for example, in FIG. 3A and 3B. The face side 11 is shown in FIG. 3A, while the rounded side 10 can be seen when the cover is turned over in FIG. 3B. The face side 11 and the rounded side 10 are connected along a seam 13. The reinforced heel 12 comprising a layer of fabric is secured with a overlock stitch over a part of the face side and a part of the rounded side.

FIG. 4A and 4B show the cover when pulled onto a field hockey stick. FIG. 4A shows the rounded side 10 and the reinforced heel 12. FIG. 4B shows the flat side 11 of the cover.

The cover may be up to 12″ in overall length and cover the head of the stick (also referred to as the blade) from the tip of the toe to just under where a traditional brand logo resides (6″ above the blade heel). This covers the target area of the stick to give and receive passes and shoot with confidence.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the cover for a field hockey stick has a length (L) from the top to bottom of the heel, length (LT) of the cover from the tip of the toe to the back of the heel, width at the part of the cover constructed to wrap around the handle (WH), and a scoop (S). The length (L) of the cover may be about 7.25 inches to about 7.75 inches. The length (LT) of the cover may be about 4.25 inches to about 4.75 inches, or about 4.5 inches. The width of the cover (WH) may be about 1.5 inches to about 2.25 inches, or about 2 inches. The scoop (S) may be about 2 inches deep.

A cover for a head of a floor hockey stick is also disclosed. It may comprise a right side and a left side connected along a seam, and a reinforced heel. The cover may be constructed to wrap and protect the blade, including the toe and heel, and a portion of the shaft of the floor hockey stick, while not extending far enough up the shaft to interfere with the player's ability to control the stick.

The whole or portion of the cover may be constructed from a polyester lycra blend, cotton blend, nylon, or a flexible elastic polymer. The whole or portion of the cover may be constructed from a flexible elastic polymer, such as neoprene, nylon, a polyester lycra blend, a cotton blend, and any combination thereof. The fabric may be any that permits production in various thickness, colors and lengths. The right side, the left side, and the reinforced heel may be constructed from the same fabric or different fabrics. The reinforced heel may be constructed from a flexible elastic polymer, such as neoprene, a polyester lycra blend, or a nylon. The left side and the right side may be constructed from a polyester lycra blend, a cotton blend or a flexible elastic polymer, such as neoprene. The left side and the right side may be constructed from a polyester lycra blend, optionally the polyester lycra blend may comprise about 4% to about 30% lycra, such as, but not limited to, 96% Polyester/4% Lycra blend, 95% Polyester/5% Lycra blend, 90% Polyester/10% Lycra blend or 80% Polyester/20% Lycra blend.

The floor hockey stick may have the following dimensions, and the cover constructed to fit snugly over the blade, blade shaft and some portion of the shaft:

Blade—9 ¾″ long, 2 ⅜″ high, ¼″ thick;

Blade shaft—4″ long, 1 ⅜″ high, 1″ wide;

Shaft—38 ½″ long, 1″ high, ¾″ wide.

A cover for a head of an ice hockey stick is also disclosed. It may comprise a right side and a left side connected along a seam, and a reinforced heel. The cover may be constructed to wrap and protect the blade, including the toe and heel, and a portion of the shaft of the ice hockey stick, while not extending far enough up the shaft to interfere with the player's ability to control the stick.

The whole or portion of the cover may be constructed from a polyester lycra blend, cotton blend, nylon, or a flexible elastic polymer. The whole or portion of the cover may be constructed from a flexible elastic polymer, such as neoprene, nylon, a polyester lycra blend, a cotton blend, and any combination thereof. The fabric may be any that permits production in various thickness, colors and lengths. The right side, the left side, and the reinforced heel may be constructed from the same fabric or different fabrics. The reinforced heel may be constructed from a flexible elastic polymer, such as neoprene, a polyester lycra blend, or a nylon. The left side and the right side may be constructed from a polyester lycra blend, a cotton blend or a flexible elastic polymer, such as neoprene. The left side and the right side may be constructed from a polyester lycra blend, optionally the polyester lycra blend may comprise about 4% to about 30% lycra, such as, but not limited to, 96% Polyester/4% Lycra blend, 95% Polyester/5% Lycra blend, 90% Polyester/10% Lycra blend or 80% Polyester/20% Lycra blend.

A kit is also disclosed comprising a hockey stick having a shaft and a head, and a cover configured so that it can be pulled onto the head of the hockey stick. The cover may be made to fit tightly (or snugly) so that it does not slack, slouch or crease once pulled up onto the hockey stick. The hockey stick may be a field hockey stick, floor hockey stick, or an ice hockey stick. Any field, floor or ice hockey stick may be incorporated in the kit.

When the kit includes the field hockey stick, the cover comprises a face side and a rounded side connected along a seam, and a reinforced heel. When the kit includes a floor hockey stick or ice hockey stick, the cover comprises a left side and a right side connected along a seam, and a reinforced heel.

The terms used in connection with this embodiment have the same meanings as described above.

The above-described aspects are merely possible examples of implementations, set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the present disclosure. Many variations and modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the present disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of the present disclosure, and all possible claims to individual aspects or combinations of elements or steps are intended to be supported by the present disclosure.

While there have been described what are presently believed to be the certain desirable embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will realize that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to include all such changes and modifications as fall within the true scope of the invention. Moreover, although specific terms are employed herein, as well as in the claims that follow, they are used only in a generic and descriptive sense, and not for the purposes of limiting the described invention, nor the claims that follow. 

1. A cover for a head of a field hockey stick comprising a face side and a rounded side connected along a seam, and a reinforced heel.
 2. The cover of claim 1, wherein the reinforced heel comprises a layer of fabric over a portion of the face side and a portion of the rounded side.
 3. The cover of claim 2, wherein the layer of fabric is about 5 inches to about 9 inches in length and about 0.8 inches to about 2.0 inches in width.
 4. The cover of claim 1, wherein the reinforced heel is positioned along a heel of the cover.
 5. The cover of claim 1, wherein the face side is constructed to cover a face of the head of the hockey stick and the rounded side is constructed to cover a rounded side of the head of the hockey stick.
 6. The cover of claim 1, wherein the cover is flexible, stretchable and removable.
 7. The cover of claim 6, wherein the cover comprises a polyester lycra blend, cotton blend, nylon, a flexible elastic polymer, or any combination thereof.
 8. The cover of claim 7, wherein the cover comprises a polyester lycra blend, nylon, or any combination thereof.
 9. The cover of claim 1, wherein the face side, the rounded side, and the reinforced heel are constructed from two or more different fabrics.
 10. The cover of claim 9, wherein the rounded side and the face side comprise a flexible elastic polymer, a cotton blend, or a polyester lycra blend, and the reinforced heel comprises nylon or a flexible elastic polymer.
 11. The cover of claim 10, wherein the rounded side and the face side comprise a polyester lycra blend, and the reinforced heel comprises neoprene or nylon.
 12. The cover of claim 1, wherein the cover is about 7.25 inches to about 7.75 inches in height, about 4.25 inches to about 4.75 inches in length, and about 1.5 inches to about 2.25 inches in width.
 13. The cover of claim 1, wherein the depth of a scoop in the cover is about 2 inches.
 14. A cover for a head of a floor hockey stick comprising a left side and a right side connected along a seam, and a reinforced heel.
 15. The cover of claim 14, wherein the cover is flexible, stretchable and removable.
 16. The cover of claim 14, wherein the cover comprises a polyester lycra blend, cotton blend, nylon, a flexible elastic polymer, or any combination thereof.
 17. The cover of claim 16, wherein the cover comprises a polyester lycra blend, nylon, a flexible elastic polymer, or any combination thereof.
 18. The cover of claim 14, wherein the left side, the right side, and the reinforced heel are constructed from two or more different fabrics.
 19. The cover of claim 14, wherein the reinforced heel comprises a flexible elastic polymer or nylon.
 20. A kit comprising a field hockey stick, and a cover constructed so that it can be pulled onto a head of the hockey stick, wherein the cover comprises a face side and a rounded side connected along a seam, and a reinforced heel.
 21. (canceled) 